Left, Afilimonovo, an object that will be included in the new exhibit of the Museum of Russian Icons, opening Nov. 2.Above, a wooden doveart of a new exhibit opening at the Museum of Russian Icons on Nov. 2. (Photos for The Item/DANY PELLETIER)

CLINTON — A new exhibit at the Museum of Russian Icons will give visitors a glimpse inside a Russian home.

"Crossing the Threshold: Traditional Folk Art From the Russian Home" opens Saturday, Nov. 2 and is curated by Maria (Masha) Trout, a Russian-born docent at the museum.

As a docent at the museum, one of her priorities has been to convey to visitors that objects in the museum "lived" in people's homes. The objects in "Crossing the Threshold" were actually used as utilitarian objects, toys and clothing.

"This exhibit is partially aimed at bringing a new visitor to the museum since it has nothing to do with the icons and is much easier 'to digest,' It may bring people who are interested in Russian culture and Russian people — not Orthodoxy," Trout said. adding it will also appeal to parents with children and craftsmen. "There are wonderful examples of embroidery, handmade dolls, folk costumes and woodworking on display."

About 80 percent of the items on the display are on loan from Vladislav and Olga Andrejev, who live in upstate New York. After being exiled from Russia, the couple took asylum in the United States. Over time, they collected traditional household items that they still use on a daily basis, such as birch bark containers and embroidered towels. Also included are samples of dolls and clothing, for adults and children from different regions.

"I wanted to deliver two messages with this exhibit," Trout said. "First, I would like to point out the connection between icons and their previous owners. I came to the idea of organizing this exhibit, being aware that a museum setting is a wonderful place for icons to be, but icons were not meant to exist within museum walls. The first time they ended up in an exhibit was only 100 years ago. Many of them 'lived' with people inside their homes. The first main theme of the exhibit is that icons that came from people's homes were not the only 'protective objects' inside there. Russians have practiced the dual belief system. They accepted Christianity, but managed to integrate some of the elements of their pagan tradition into the celebration of holidays and into decoration of objects that surrounded them.

"For example, brides-to-be not only prayed in hopes for a good marriage, they had to make dozens of embroidered talismans which look to us like towels and table runners, but which had an incredible protective power according to the peasants' belief system, and were decorated with pagan symbols. We have several embroideries explained in detail on display," Trout added.

Trout said she also wanted to tell visitors — children in particular — what life was like in Russia in the old days.

"My experience, being a resident of Lexington, suggests that people of New England may be particularly fond of this part. Visitors may draw parallels between what they know about colonial life here and what the exhibit will tell them about Russia in the old days," she said. "There are examples of tools — a sickle, distaffs for spinning flax fibers, wooden implements for washing clothes, etc. There are references to the age of children by which they were expected to master a particular adult-level skill. For example, little girls started embroidering their dowry at age 5. Teenaged boys had to demonstrate their ability to build a house's corner with a single instrument — an ax. There is a large section on dolls made for and by little peasants from scrap materials. It is a good reminder for today's American Doll fans that life goes on even if you do not get the latest outfit from a catalog."

"This exhibition will expand our understanding of Russia and its culture," said Kent dur Russell, CEO and curator of the Museum of Russian Icons. "Icons are to be seen in the home, but these objects will increase the visual information that people will receive about what these homes may look like."

Adding more lifestyle programs has helped draw a different crowd to the museum, Russell said.

"Our audiences have reacted very positively to these new non-icon exhibitions. The Matryoshka doll show broke all recent records for attendance," he said. "People like to see the background behind the icons. They understand that icons are emblematic for Russia, they describe the aspirations of the Russian people and their spiritual impulses, but their everyday life is equally of interest to the visitor."